As I’ve stated in my previous blog, “Adventure Awaits At Keystone,” I returned to Keystone State Park and captured more photos! To start off, Brian and I headed back to the AMD Trail where, supposedly, there’s a closed mine for the public to see, but when we got there we still had no luck of finding it. The only other possible place that I could think of it to be was in an area that was completely fenced in. We went up to the fenced area to try and see, but couldn’t really get a glimpse of what was inside. Needless to say, I’m not quite sure if that was the mine itself or not. I tried researching its location online, but no one truly pinpointed where it was. Unfortunately, the visitor’s center was closed, so I couldn’t ask them for clarification. Maybe next time! Aside from not exactly finding the mine, I snagged a shot of an old bait shop just before we turned onto the road for the trail.

But wait, there’s good news for this blog! If you haven’t read my pre-adventure blog that I noted above, make sure to head over and check it out. I guarantee some laughs about this next trail we ventured onto. Stone Lodge Trail was a 1.5-mile long trail, up a steep hill, and through some thick woods. The steep hill wasn’t nearly as challenging as last time since all the snow melted. My dog, Rusty, was full of energy and was happy to lead the way. One of the perks of this trail was once we reached the top, the greenery was just starting to sprout above the dead leaves. It was truly a beautiful sight to see all of the plants coming alive and the warmth of the sun shining over them. As we walked along this trail we saw a hawk flying above the tree line, some gorgeous tall pine trees, and my favorite candid moment when I was photographing something, only to turn around to see my little Rusty laying down in the middle of the pathway. He was sitting in the sun, perfectly blending in with the warm colors of the leaves. He even started to doze off a little until we hurried him along.

The next trail we headed to was a very short one. Pine Trail held beautiful White Mountain pine trees and showcased some farm fields. Although I had to fight some thick pricker bushes, I made sure to push through and get a shot of the warm open fields. Once we finished walking that short trail we crossed the road onto McCune Run Trail. This trail led us through some wetlands. There I tried to photograph an interesting bird’s nest that was hidden in the thick brush. But my favorite part was when we spotted a young beaver crossing the trail and into the water. I ran up as quietly as I could and happened to capture a shot of him swimming away before he dove down and disappeared. We continued on that trail for a little while, but realized it was close to sunset, so we decided to turn around and head back. I stopped again to photograph the hidden bird’s nest, and when I turned around, once again, Rusty was sitting in the sun falling asleep. At that point, we had been hiking for seven hours, so I knew that exhaustion had got the best of him.

We made our way back to the lake and picked a spot right along the shore. Part of the lake still had some ice, so I chose a spot where a thick tree trunk had fallen into the water and ice had frozen around it. I had figured that the contrast between the cool ice and the warm sunset would be interesting so I set up my tripod. Rusty bunkered down next to me in some brush, and we waited for the sunset. It was starting to get cold and Rusty started to shake. I knew he was tired, but I really wanted to see the sunset. Brian then came to the rescue and bundled Rusty up in his jacket. He held him for a little while, warming him up to the point where he actually fell asleep in Brian’s arms. After some time, he wanted to come lay by me again and we waited it out together. When the sunset finally came, it wasn’t as grand as the last trip, but it was still a beautiful sight to see. Once the sunset slipped behind the hill, we decided to make our journey home. Overall, we had a fun adventure-filled day. As Rusty passed out in the car on the ride home, I’m sure he was dreaming of our next trip!

Enjoy these final photographs from our trip. Also, for those who are interested, I have been slacking with my macro photography lately, so during this trip, I set my mind to find a rustic look for me to practice with. As you’ll see, I got some awesome shots of my engagement ring. Check out my blog, “Macro Filters” if you want to learn more!